Peer Observation

Practice Taking Low-Inference Notes Protocol

Objective: Build a shared understanding of previous experiences with observation and develop our collective ability to take low-inference observations

Purpose: This protocol helps teams re-frame peer observation as a data-collection activity rather than an evaluative one. Your team will practice identifying and then making low-inference observations, which will both help your team ground statements in evidence and create a safe space to share practice. This will prepare you to observe each other teaching lessons related to your Learner-Centered Problem and name a Problem of Practice.

Recommended time: 40-50 minutes

Preparation: Become familiar with the “Learning to See” PowerPoint and the objectivity/specificity matrix.

With administration, ensure there is a schedule that allows every teacher on the team to observe a colleague and every teacher on the team to be observed, and ideally complete an observation schedule (in which every team member is observed by another team member) in advance of this meeting.

Make copies of the objectivity-specificity matrix, and set up audio/visual technology to ensure smooth video viewing.

Planning to Observe Focus Students Protocol (Inquiry for Focus Students)

Objective: Prepare to observe by unpacking instructional moves designed to support each focus student

Purpose: Equity -- ie, improving the performance of our most struggling students -- lies at the heart of inquiry. Use this protocol to prepare lessons targeted to meet the needs of your focus students and name what your team will look for when observing those lessons. This will support your team in understanding what you are doing well to meet the needs of your focus students and what you can do better.

Recommended time: 50 minutes

Preparation: Optional: In a previous meeting, all team members can create Asset Portfolios for each focus student to inform individual planning.

Examine Instruction: Affinity Mapping Protocol

Objective: Analyze instructional data to come to a shared understanding of what is happening in classrooms

Purpose: In this meeting, your team will collectively analyze low-inference notes from every team member to name a problem of practice. This is an important piece of the inquiry cycle because it lets your team use evidence to name a specific cause of your learner-centered problem so that you can collectively name a new instructional approach to address it. Without the problem of practice to narrow the possibilities of instructional responses, the likelihood of selecting a new approach that doesn’t actually address the root cause of your learner-centered problem is much higher. (If you visit the doctor because you have frequent headaches, you don’t want your doctor to prescribe treatment until they have a hypothesis of why you are getting the headaches!)

Recommended time: 20-30 minutes

Preparation: Gather chart paper and sticky notes. Ensure that all team members bring their low-inference notes from their peer observations.

Examine Instruction: Principles of Effective Practice Protocol

Objective: Use principles of effective practice from the__________________framework to analyze classroom observation notes.

Name a problem of practice by drawing from elements of effective teaching practice from the_________________framework.

Purpose: While the Affinity Mapping protocol asks teams to group observations into categories, this protocol asks teams to use a framework of effective instruction to name look-fors that observations can then be sorted into.

Recommended time: 40-50 minutes

Preparation: Select the framework of effective practice the team will use, most likely what your school is using (CLASS, UDL practices, Principles to Action, BPS Core Actions, etc.). Select 4-5 principles/sub-guidelines/core actions that most align to the Learner-Centered Problem and write them on chart paper. Select short pieces of text from the chosen framework that further explore the effective practices that teachers will reference in the meeting. These text selections will be used in the meeting as a way to foster shared understanding and create text-based problems of practice.

Ensure that all team members bring their low-inference notes from their peer observations. Become familiar with the quality indicators of a problem of practice.

Name a Problem of Practice

Objective: Build on our collective understanding of what is happening in classrooms to name a Problem of Practice

Purpose: In this meeting, your team will name a problem of practice based on your shared understanding of what is happening in classrooms. This is an important piece of the inquiry cycle because it lets your team use evidence to name a specific cause of your learner-centered problem so that you can collectively name a new instructional approach to address it. Without the problem of practice to narrow the possibilities of instructional responses, the likelihood of selecting a new approach that doesn’t actually address the root cause of your learner-centered problem is much higher. (If you visit the doctor because you have frequent headaches, you don’t want your doctor to prescribe treatment until they have a hypothesis of why you are getting the headaches!)

Recommended time: 20-30 minutes

Preparation: Based on your team’s examination of instruction, consider what Problems of Practice stand out to you. The team can brainstorm ahead of the meeting to help expedite the process within the meeting. Establishing a clear decision making process is critical: there are going to be multiple, valid Problems of Practice to tackle, but you need to ensure the team makes a decision in order to move the work forward. Review the quality indicators of a Problem of Practice so you are prepared to help your team spot proposed Problems of Practice that might need to be tweaked, reworded, or discarded.